1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for a sheet-like connection member such as a flexible printed circuit or cable (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC) and so forth. All of these cables and circuit will be generally referred to as “FPC”. The instant application relates to a contemporaneously filed application having the same title, the same applicant and the same assignee with the invention.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,845 discloses a connector for a FPC comprising a stationary housing defining a cavity with an insertion port through which the FPC is inserted into the cavity; metal terminals mounted on the housing and inserted into the cavity; and a slide housing displaceable relative to the housing between a completely-retained position and a provisionally-retained position. When the FPC is to be inserted into the cavity, the slide housing is displaced to the provisionally-retained position to be held in a stand-by position outwardly of the insertion port. After the FPC is inserted into the cavity, the slide housing is also inserted into the cavity to the completely-retained position, to hold the metal terminals in contact with the FPC. In addition, the stationary housing has a pair of U-shaped frame respectively at its lengthwise sides. Each frame comprises an upper flange, a lower flange, and a guide groove between the upper flange and the lower flange for guidingly receiving an arm of the movable housing to retain the movable housing on the stationary housing. The groove has a vertical size between the upper flange and the lower flange substantially equal to the thickness of the arm.
As the requirement of minimization of electrical components is ever increasing, it is desired to decrease the thickness of the connector. However, for preventing the arm of the movable housing from snapping, we should not decrease the thickness of arm to achieve that purpose. Thereby we can only decrease the thickness of the upper flange and the lower flange, but which will weaken the flanges. Otherwise, such a connector requires the stationary housing to provide a sufficient size of height to define a cavity to receive the FPC and the slide housing.
Thereby, to meet the ever-increasing requirement of minimization of electrical components, a connector with a lower profile for FPC is desired.